Fit to be president

In honor of the inauguration of President Barack Obama, who is known for faithfully hitting the gym on a regular basis, Fitnessmagazine.com compiled a list of the 10 unhealthiest presidents in American history.

The list includes Ronald Reagan, who had colon and skin cancer and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994; John F. Kennedy, who in his short lifetime contracted scarlet fever, whooping cough, pnemonia and jaundice, among other diseases; and Grover Cleveland, who landed in the No. 1 spot with his documented history of obesity, cigar-smoking, gout and prodigious consumption of alcohol.

If you’re wondering about the fittest presidents, Gold’s Gym has compiled a list of the top 10 here. They include former president George W. Bush (who likes to cycle) and Harry Truman (who walked and swam). Oddly, some presidents show up on both lists, such as Teddy Roosevelt, who was identified as unhealthy by Fitness magazine because he was blind and deaf on his left side and suffered from a lodged bullet wound and malaria, but lauded as fit by Gold’s Gym because he overcame several childhood ailments and later took up riding horses and boxing.

Considering what a problem obesity is in this country  more than one third of U.S. adults and 16 percent of U.S. children are obese, according to the CDC  and the costs associated with it, it would be nice to have a president who made health a priority, in addition to health care reform. Here’s hoping Obama will continue to lead by example and inspire millions of Americans to improve their health.